Policy analyst Ayat Ashraf critiques India's Union Budget 2026–27, drawing parallels to the underdelivered Smart Cities initiative while analyzing its record capital expenditure, manufacturing incentives, and AI-driven ambitions alongside persistent unemployment, stagnant wages, and low spending on agriculture, health, education, and research. The article ultimately argues that the budget prioritizes the aesthetics of progress over foundational capacity and effective fund utilization, raising concerns about whether fiscal prudence without deeper social investment can deliver India's envisioned transformation.

Policy analyst Nisha Shenoy examines the INVEST Act, recently passed by the House, and its efforts to ease startup fundraising and expand the "accredited investor" rule through a knowledge-based certification, analyzing how companies' increasingly delayed IPOs have concentrated early-stage gains among wealthy individuals and contributed to wealth inequality. The article ultimately argues that while the bill aims to democratize access to private markets, structural advantages for wealthier investors may persist, raising concerns about fraud, illiquidity, and companies delaying public offerings even further.

Policy analyst Ayat Ashraf critiques India’s Union Budget 2026–27, focusing on its heavy emphasis on infrastructure-led growth, manufacturing, and technological investment alongside persistent gaps in employment, social spending, and implementation capacity. The article ultimately argues that despite ambitious development goals, weak execution and underinvestment in human capital risk limiting the budget’s ability to deliver inclusive and sustainable economic transformation.

Policy analyst Raheem Ebrahim examines the economic drivers of youth homelessness in California, focusing on how housing costs, administrative barriers, and foster-care transitions contribute to widespread youth housing instability. The article argues that reducing youth homelessness requires stronger prevention, stabilization, and exit pathways, ultimately concluding that it must be treated as both a housing and economic mobility issue with measurable outcomes.

Policy analyst Nisha Shenoy examines the rise of Universal Basic Income and Guaranteed Income pilot programs across the United States, analyzing what a decade of experiments reveals about poverty, employment, and financial stability. The piece also considers whether the proven benefits of unconditional cash transfers can be sustainably scaled at the national level.

Policy analyst Ava Medure examines the rise of Russell T. Vought and his transformation of the Office of Management and Budget into a powerful engine for expanding executive authority. The piece explores how Vought’s revival of impoundment and efforts to centralize budgetary power challenge constitutional limits, congressional authority, and the long-standing balance of American democracy.